Messages - Top Cat

I think this is probably the best place to post this topic because the majority of you guys are in law school and looking at careers. I'm not interested in Big Law in NYC or Chicago- I would be much more comfortable in a city such as Lexington, KY (where I am going to law school). In a small/ mid-size town like this, what is the significant difference between the big law firms, as opposed to big city law firms?

For example, one of the firms that really appeals to me lists the following through the NALP:

That salary for the area would be excellent. However, I'm confused as to the billable hours statistics. Does this mean that most of the attorneys are not making the cut, or is there some reason I'm not seeing for the disparity in expectations and actual hours? Also, to achieve 1,900 billable hours, how much could one realistically expect to work?

I am a prime example that you could have a low G.P.A. and test score but finish at the top of you class.

I can't believe I am getting involved in this thread, but I do have one thing to point out (assuming you are not a duplicate poster of the original flame, which is very possible).

The quoted advice is both skewed and irrelevant. First off, you can't have a low GPA and finish at the top of your class. You could work to bring up your GPA... but then, you no longer have a low GPA. The original poster gives every indication that they are done with school. Therefore, they can not finish at the top of their class.

Anyone who encourages this poster (again, on the EXTREMELY small chance that they aren't a flame) should realize that people like this lower the value of all law degrees. Some people aren't made for law school- the influx of people going to law school who shouldn't be there is leading to an oversaturation of lawyers... this is bad for all of us, no matter what school we go to.

Extremely. You can see this by reseaching a school's 1L attrition rate. This is how many students drop out between 1L and 2L. Some schools are known for setting a curve that forces as much as a fifth of the class to flunk out.

I'm not going to name names of some schools known for this. There are schools that are respectable in every tier, but the lower in tiers you go, the more wary you should be.

I'm guessing that it is their way of saying minorities. General rule of thumb, though- if you were to talk to 10 people on the street and less than two of them would have heard of the school, you should probably stay away. I would probably be wary of David A. Clarke School of Law... there are a lot of schools out there with the only purpose to eat up your money. Then again, some could argue there that is the purpose of all law schools.

I am going to the best law school in the state that I grew up in and plan on living in for the rest of my life. I am doing so for free, and, by doing so, I am forgoing various appealing options. Three years from now, I may look back and wonder what things would have been like if I had acted differently. But, I can rest assured, three years from now, I will not owe tens/ hundreds of thousands of dollars and have no secure means of paying these debts back. I don't fault others for their choices, and I wouldn't blame someone else one bit if they would do something differently in my shoes. I know what I am doing, and I am happy about my choices.

All of the US News points in the world can't make up for some things... I have the feeling that if you are anything in person like you are on these boards, no law degree can help you.

Originally, I thought I was going to go to law school down in Nashville... so my wife and I moved down there. After a while of searching for a job, I finally settled on a part-time job at a bookstore (better than nothing, and my resume is already in pretty good shape). While I was on my lunch break during the first day, I got a call saying I had won a full tuition scholarship at Kentucky, where I am from. My wife and I talked about it, decided to go ahead and move back home to Kentucky. I called my boss and told him I was leaving after one day. One day.

I realize my situation is different than yours, but you may find some humor in it, nonetheless

Take an economics class before you ever go to law school. There, you will learn about costs. Specifically, you will learn about financial costs and opportunity costs. Couple these ideas, and you will determine that wasting three years of your life and going $100,000+ in debt (you said you wanted a well-regarded school) are not the best decision for someone not wanting to enter a law-related field.

By the way, if you consider a degree in journalism "idealistic and do-gooder", you have never met a journalist. I hope my deeply ambivalent, perhaps slightly offensive candor is not taken personally.

I don't really have any advice as to what schools are suited for you because I think each person has their own reasons for choosing a law school. However, there are a couple of things in your post that maybe should be considered before you go into all-out LSAT study mode.

I don't really understand this. Did you just wake up and decide one day that being called a lawyer would sound kind of cool? I'm not mocking you at all... just pointing out that most law schools (ESPECIALLY some of the ones you listed) would leave you with $130,000 of debt. When getting caught up in things, it is easy to become desensitized to these kind of numbers, but think about how much money that is. It is a huge debt to pick up on a whim- ask yourself why you want to go to law school.

I will echo some of the other posts by saying it is impossible to know what to expect without an LSAT score. I wouldn't bother with the diagnostic tests that the publishing companies put out- I've found many of them are easier than actual tests, but, more importantly, they don't follow the exact question format as well as they could. When you study for the LSAT, use actual tests. I promise you won't regret it.

Other than that, good luck. Applying to law school is a sometimes frustrating, often exciting and always painstaking path.